Dr. Derrick Gale understands that everyone who chooses to seek plastic surgery does so for unique, intensely personal motivations. Some reasons are purely cosmetic, while others may be more pragmatic. Let’s look more closely at the differences to help you decide what’s best for you.

Aesthetic Facial Procedures 

Many of Dr. Gale’s patients seek plastic surgery solely because they want to look and feel better about themselves. Top cosmetic procedures include blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, a brow lift, a facelift, or chin augmentation.

If you’ve always been self-conscious about various aspects of your appearance and want to improve your facial harmony without affecting the performance of any of your features, your goals are likely entirely aesthetic.

Functional Facial Procedures

Facial reconstruction is a specialized surgical discipline that can simultaneously improve your appearance and the functionality of various features. Some of Dr. Gale’s patients choose functional facial reconstruction procedures out of necessity. In many cases, this might be due to a congenital deformity or an accident that damaged some part of your face. Facial reconstruction, sleep apnea treatment, and jaw surgery are standard surgeries that serve practical purposes.

When performed by a skilled plastic surgeon, some procedures performed primarily for practical reasons can also have cosmetic benefits.

• If skin laxity on your upper eyelids is significant enough that it droops over your eyes and obscures your vision, an eyelid lift may be medically necessary to help you see more clearly. However, removing this excess skin can also benefit your appearance by making you look younger, friendlier, and more alert.
• A rhinoplasty is another example of a surgery that can serve dual purposes. Structural issues like a deviated septum may make it more difficult to breathe through your nose. When performing nose surgery, Dr. Gale can reshape your internal nasal structures to improve your respiratory function. If there are any cosmetic issues you’d like to address at the same time – such as a nose that is too large compared to your other facial features – Dr. Gale’s skill set will help you accomplish your goals.

Facial Aesthetic Procedures in Riverton, UT

Knowing the exact reason for your facial procedure will help you get the correct procedure for your desired results. That’s why Dr. Gale suggests having early consultations about any surgery you might be considering.

To discuss the best treatment for aesthetic or functional facial reconstruction in Riverton, UT, contact us at (801) 506-6344 or fill out our convenient online form today.

The post Facial Reconstruction: Aesthetic vs. Functional appeared first on Gale Facial Plastics.

Many people believe their facial appearance defines them. Therefore, physical damage can cause psychological harm as well. Post-accident facial reconstruction is critical to restoring physical appearances, emotional renewal, and positive self-esteem.

What Is Facial Reconstructive Surgery?

Facial reconstructive surgery is a medical procedure correcting compromised structure and function of the bone, skin, soft tissue, and dental occlusion of the head, face, and neck. Depending on the trauma’s severity, plastic surgeons use different operations to address the injuries. Dr. Derrick Gale uses two classifications to assess trauma: traumatic facial lacerations and traumatic facial fractures.

The Physical Benefits

Facial reconstruction aims to repair facial and skull appearances and restore muscle movement and sensitivity. Physical benefits include:

• Improved breathing
• Jaw mobility
• Hearing improvement
• Vision enhancement

Facial reconstruction surgery aims to restore facial features and functions to pre-accident form. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gale offers facial reconstruction surgery. As a result, his patients often enjoy significant visible results, making their wounds from trauma practically imperceptible.

The Emotional Benefits

Frequently, the most traumatic aspect of facial disfigurement is the emotional or psychological damage a patient suffers. This issue may lead to a lack of confidence and self-esteem. Many patients also suffer from depression.

Fortunately, Dr. Gale can improve the disfigurement through facial reconstruction, restoring patients’ outlook by returning their facial features to as close to their original state as possible. His artistic eye and surgical skill allow his patients to look in the mirror to find renewed outlook and hope instead of a constant reminder of their accident.

Reconstruct Your Face and Rebuild Your Self-Esteem

With the advancements in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, Dr. Gale can rebuild facial structures and appearance. Although accidents can affect physical and emotional well-being, facial reconstruction can help reverse their impact. Dr. Derrick Gale has successfully performed facial reconstructive surgery on several patients. He has helped many of them return to their everyday life without the adverse effects of facial trauma. If you have been in an accident and suffered facial trauma, contact Dr. Gale for a consultation today.

The post What Benefits Come From Facial Reconstruction? appeared first on Gale Facial Plastics.

With over 7 million Botox injections performed yearly, Botox is by far the number one minimally-invasive cosmetic procedure in the U.S.

Capable of eliminating even the most noticeable wrinkles, Botox is an effective anti-aging treatment that helps patients restore a smooth, youthful appearance to their face.

Here, Dr. Derrick Gale of Gale Facial Plastics takes an in-depth look at the Botox treatment and suggests just how frequently patients should look to get their touch-ups done.

What is Botox?

Botox is a medical-grade product derived from the botulinum toxin, which causes localized paralysis at and around the injection site. The neurotoxin interferes with the communication pathways between nerves and muscles, helping muscles responsible for wrinkling to stop contracting.

Botox is beneficial in areas where dynamic wrinkles form – primarily the forehead and between the eyes.

How Long Does Botox Last?

The duration of Botox’s effects depends mainly on the patient but generally ranges between 3-5 months. The patient’s lifestyle and metabolism are the most influential factors on how long Botox will last. More active people with higher metabolisms see shorter results as their bodies break down the Botox compound faster.

When Should I Start Getting Botox?

Traditionally, patients have turned to Botox once their wrinkles start to become more troublesome.

More recently, however, patients have been getting smaller amounts of Botox earlier to eliminate the initial fine lines and prevent wrinkles from becoming more noticeable.

Generally, wrinkles and fine lines on the forehead and between the brows become more noticeable around the mid-late 30s’, with patients starting to get Botox at this age to counteract the onset of aging.

How Often Should I Get Botox Touch-Ups?

The frequency of Botox touch-ups depends on the patient. Lifestyle, metabolism, and age all play significant factors in determining the frequency of your Botox touch-ups.

It is important not to overdo Botox and consult a trained and experienced surgeon familiar with long-term planning of the treatment. It is best to use Botox sparingly to provide the most natural results for the most prolonged period of time possible.

Botox in Riverton and Salt Lake City, Utah

Restoring and maintaining your youthful appearance is a dream of most patients. Botox is a tried-and-tested treatment that can be used in small doses for years to provide exceptional anti-aging results when administered by a trained, certified, experienced professional. To consult with a leading authority in the business, we encourage you to arrange a commitment-free consultation with Dr. Gale by calling 801 506-6344 or filling out his online form today.

The post How Often Should I Get a Botox® Touch-Up? appeared first on Gale Facial Plastics.

Incurring any form of facial trauma is a distressing life event. Not only does the victim of facial trauma experience psychological damage, but their physical appearance and physical functioning can be severely altered in a traumatic episode.

In the terrible event of you or a loved one experiencing facial trauma, highly specialized and experienced facial reconstructive surgeons offer many procedures that can help restore your appearance.

Depending on the nature of your injuries, your doctor will need to fix traumatic facial lacerations, traumatic facial fractures, or a combination of the two.

Here, Dr. Derrick Gale, a highly respected facial reconstructive specialist and founder of Gale Facial Plastics, explains when and why patients may start considering facial reconstruction.

How Patients Incur Traumatic Facial Injuries

In the United States, there are over 3 million non-fatal traumatic injuries each year, which leave patients with psychological and physical scars and trauma. 

The most common causes of these injuries are from falls, violence, and transport accidents, respectively. Other accidents that often lead to traumatic facial injuries include animal attacks and athletic pursuits.

Depending on the scenario where facial trauma occurred, physical injuries fall into either facial fractures, facial lacerations, or a combination of both. While a patient’s appearance can be significantly changed in such an event, the physiological functions of sight, hearing, chewing, and breathing that can also be impaired in such tragic circumstances.

This is why facial reconstructive surgeons are amongst the most highly specialized surgeons in the field—they are tasked with helping patients get their appearance back and must have the intricate physiological understanding to restore function to traumatically injured facial organs.

Traumatic Facial Lacerations

Facial lacerations occur when the face’s skin or organs are cut or sliced, leaving significant scarring or even removing part or all of the organ completely.

Patients with traumatic facial lacerations will consider facial reconstructive surgery as a way of reducing or eliminating scarring and restoring organ function.

Traumatic Facial Fractures

The brow, eye sockets, cheekbones, and jawbone are the facial features most susceptible to traumatic fractures. In such events, these bones may be broken or shattered in such a way that requires the use of plate-and-screw fixation devices to restore appearance and function.

When Might you Consider Facial Reconstructive Surgery?

For most patients, health insurance will cover facial reconstructive surgery as it is likely to be deemed a necessary surgery—one that is required to maintain quality of life.

As such, you should consider facial reconstructive surgery if you have experienced any form of traumatic accident that has altered your appearance or physiological function. Doctors are here to help, and they can help.

Facial Reconstruction in Riverton and Salt Lake City, Utah

Facial reconstruction is a wonderful solution to a tragic accident. In many cases, facial reconstruction is your best chance at reclaiming some degree of normalcy after a traumatic accident or episode.

But to do so successfully, facial reconstructive surgery demands intense specialization, which is why we strongly encourage all those considering facial reconstructions to consider the doctor carefully.

To consult with a leading specialist in the facial reconstructive fields, we encourage you to arrange a commitment-free consultation with Dr. Gale by calling 801 506-6344 or by filling out his online form.

The post Reasons to Consider Facial Reconstruction appeared first on Gale Facial Plastics.